Untitled as yet
by Kharma
Summary: Crossover with BtVS. Nigel gets a surprise visit. (NigelSydney & BuffyGiles pairing)


Title:Untitled (for now, any ideas gratefully received)  
Chapter: 1?  
Category: Romance/Humour (hopefully)/Crossover  
Rating: GR for now (guidance recommended)  
Summary: Late at night, Nigel Bailey gets some unexpected visitors  
Feedback: Yes please.

Nigel wrenched open the door after being woken at 3 in the morning by the doorbell and stared in shock for a moment before pulling the man on the doorstep into a fierce hug.

"You're alive!" he gasped in relief and the man on the receiving end of the hug chuckled.

"Quite," he said. "Although breathing is becoming rather difficult at the moment."

Nigel instantly let go and stepped back. "Oh God!" he said, mortified at his complete lack of restraint. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I'm just so happy to see you."

His uncle, Rupert Giles, smiled. "I'm happy to see you too, Nigel, but I do have a favour to ask."

Nigel opened the door further and ushered his favourite relative in and into a chair. "Anything for you, Uncle Giles. You know that."

Giles sighed with relief. "I'm passing through town with a few friends, but the hotel we were supposed to be staying at is over booked and it's far too late to drag everybody around the city looking for a place to stay. I was hoping we could stay here tonight and then start looking for somewhere else tomorrow. We all have sleeping bags and I assure you we're quite used to roughing it."

Nigel frowned. "How many of you are there?" he asked, trying to work out the sleeping arrangements in his head.

"Six," Giles said with a yawn, which he didn't even bother to apologise for.

"Well, as long as nobody minds doubling up, I should have enough beds for all of you. Where is everybody else?"

"Waiting in the car," Giles said. "I didn't want to drag them all the way up here if it wasn't convenient for you."

Nigel passed him the phone. "Call and tell them to come on in," he said. "I'll go and make sure the beds are all made."

Giles picked up the phone and dialled Buffy's cell phone. "Buffy," he said through a yawn when she answered. "It's okay; we can stay for the night. I don't think we'll need the sleeping bags but bring them just in case."

"Sure thing, Watcher Mine," Buffy said cheerfully and Giles winced, he had absolutely no idea where she got her energy from but he wished she was willing to share it with him.

Nigel came into the room just as he put the phone down and couldn't help smiling. It was so good to see his uncle again, especially after the last few months of not knowing whether he was dead or alive. He was just about to say something to that effect when his front door burst open and a small blonde woman burst in, quickly followed by a slightly taller and younger brunette who seemed to be arguing with somebody over her shoulder. The blonde suddenly whirled around and glared at her. "Will you two stop arguing," she hissed. "If either of you wake Willow up, I will not be happy. Now stop it!"

The door opened again, more gently this time and a large man with an eye patch walked through, carrying a woman with red hair who seemed to be passed out. "Good grief!" Nigel exclaimed. "Is she okay?"

The man with the eye patch looked fondly down at his passenger and smiled. "She's fine," he said with a smile. "She's just crashed after a major caffeine and sugar high. Is there somewhere I can put her?"

"O-of course," Nigel managed to stammer through his shock and hurried through to his bedroom. "You can put her in here."

"Thanks," the larger man said with a grateful smile as he followed his host through to the other room. "She's only little but sometimes it feels like she weighs a ton." He gently laid her down on the bed and reached down to take off her shoes before pulling the bedclothes over her. "Love you, Will," he whispered softly as he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Love, Xand," the sleeping woman murmured with a drowsy smile as she rolled over in the bed and carried on sleeping. Nigel felt a lump in his throat at the unashamed display of love and affection that was missing from his own life and he closed his eyes against the tears that threatened.

Xander looked at the other man and felt a wave of sadness go through him. "Hey," he said softly, not wanting to break too harshly into whatever the other man was thinking about. "I never got a chance to introduce myself. I'm Alexander Harris, but everyone calls me Xander, and the Sleeping Beauty here is Willow Rosenberg."

"Nigel Bailey," he said automatically and shook the hand that Xander held out. "Pleased to meet you."

"Cool!" A male voice suddenly said from the direction of the living room. "Star Wars on DVD!" and Xander groaned.

"That's it," he said with a sigh. "We'll never get him to leave now." He looked at Nigel's confused expression and smiled. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "We're not all insane."

Nigel wasn't reassured in the least but he went along with it. "That's, um, that's good to know," he said as he led the way from the main bedroom and into the living room which seemed to have been taken over by a camping supplies store. He glanced around for his uncle and saw him sitting on the couch with the other two women. Both had a head on his shoulder and looked to be asleep while his uncle's cheek rested lightly on the blonde hair on his left. Nigel had to smile; he couldn't remember the last time he had seen his uncle looking so peaceful.

"Uncle Giles," he said quietly and smiled at the older man when he opened one eye. "The beds are ready now." He glanced around the room and frowned. "I don't know how you want to do it, but I think the 3 ladies in my bed for tonight, there are twin beds in the guest-room next to mine and the couch pulls out into a double bed. We can sort out more appropriate arrangements tomorrow

Buffy opened her eyes and sat up. "This is very kind of you, Mr. Bailey, but we can't put you out of your bed. We'll be fine on the floor in here with the sleeping bags."

Nigel smiled at her. "Please call me Nigel and if my mother ever found out that I let a guest sleep on my living room floor she would come back and haunt me for the rest of my life. You are perfectly welcome to my bed for as long as you need it."

"I guess that's settled then," Giles said as he gently dislodged the young girl on his other side with a glance towards where Xander was quietly talking to a blonde boy who looked as if a strong gust of wind would blow him over. "Xander, Andrew - you two can take the twin beds. Would you take the girls bags into their room for them when you take yours?"

Both men instantly got to their feet, grabbed the bags and walked out. Dawn stood up and walked over to Nigel. She looked at him for a moment as if deciding whether or not she liked him and then grinned. "Got anything to eat?" she asked. "I'm starving!"

"Dawn!" Buffy said sharply. "Where are your manners?" The younger girl blushed a shade of red that Nigel hadn't thought was possible and sighed before grinning impishly at her sister.

She held her hand out to Nigel and curtsied when he took it. "It's so nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Bailey. My name is Dawn Summers and the grouch over there is my big sister, Buffy. Giles I guess you know, Willow's the red-head currently asleep in your bed, you've met Xander and the geek is Andrew." She turned back to Buffy and stuck out her tongue. "Happy now?" she asked.

"Brat," Buffy growled as she dropped her head back down on Giles' shoulder and once more closed her eyes. Dawn giggled and touched Nigel's arm. 

"Come on," she said quietly. "You can show me where I'm sleeping and let them have a few minutes peace."

Nigel looked back curiously at the two people curled up together on his couch. "How long have they been together?" he asked and was surprised when Dawn sighed sadly.

"They're not but it's not for want of trying from our end, believe me," she said as they stopped outside his bedroom door.

"Well," Nigel said, suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he was standing outside his bedroom with a teenage girl. "I'll leave you to get some sleep. The kitchen leads off the living room, please help yourself to anything. The bathroom's right across the hall and there's clean towels in the cupboard if you need them."

Dawn leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Nigel, you're a life saver," she said with a yawn as she walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Nigel walked next door to the guest room and tapped lightly on the door, not wanting to wake up the two men if they were sleeping. When he heard muffled voice say, "Come in" he opened the door slightly and walked in. "Everything okay?" he asked and both men nodded making Nigel smile. "If you get hungry the kitchen is just off the living room," he explained. "And the bathroom's across the hall. Sleep well."

"Thanks," Andrew said as he climbed into the bed. "But right now I'm just going to go to sleep and dream about Captain Archer."

"Same here," Xander said and then frowned. "Only without the dreaming part. Well, dreaming obviously, but not necessarily about Star Trek and definitely not about Captain Archer."

Nigel was getting more confused by the second but refused to show it. "Good night," he said and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. When he got back to the living room, his uncle was talking quietly to the only other person who was still up and Nigel was reluctant to interrupt them. Buffy suddenly looked up and grinned at him and Nigel couldn't help smiling back.

"Everything okay?" he asked quietly.

"Just peachy," Buffy said through yawn. "Sorry," she said as she blushed slightly. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought."

"Oh God, Buffy!" Giles exclaimed. "I'm terribly sorry, I had no idea."

She laid a placating hand on his arm. "Chill, Giles. It's okay; I think the last few days are just catching up with me." She stood up and Giles hastened to stand as well. Leaning up slightly, she kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Watcher Mine." She said and Giles smiled down at her.

Nigel looked away for a moment to give them a chance to say goodnight in private. When he looked back up, Buffy was standing in front of him with her head tilted to one side and regarding him seriously. "You know," she said with a smile. "I think I like you."

Nigel took it in the spirit it was meant and smiled. "Miss Summers," he said lightly. "I rather think that at this point you would like anybody who offered you a bed for the night."

"Probably," she agreed with a sigh. "Speaking of which, I'm about to drop. If you don't mind, I think I'll definitely go to bed."

"Of course, I'll show you where to go."

Buffy waved one hand negligently. "Don't bother. I'll just follow Willow's snores."

"Willow does not snore!" Giles called from where he was investigating the kitchen cupboards.

"You're only saying that because she's your favourite," Buffy called back. "You've never had to sleep in the same bed with her!" She suddenly giggled and turned back to Nigel. "I bet he's blushing bright red right about now," she confided in a whisper before turning and going to find the bedroom.

"Hey Nigel!" she called when she got to the bedroom door and he turned around. "I do like you, you know."

"I like you too," he replied with a grin and Buffy nodded before opening the door and closing it behind her.

Nigel walked back to the kitchen and stood in the doorway, watching his uncle sort through the kitchen cupboards for a few moments before giving in and telling him where to look. "Try the cupboard above the fridge, top shelf, right at the back."

Giles moved straight to the cupboard, reached in and smiled when his hand touched the familiar blue and orange box. "How did you know I was looking for these?" he asked as he pulled the first one out of the box and took a bite, closing his eyes in pleasure as the combined taste of chocolate and orange burst onto his tongue.

"What else would you be looking for but Jaffa Cakes?" Nigel asked with amusement. "That and the Marmite, of course," he added.

Giles' eyes lit up. "There's Marmite?" he asked and Nigel laughed.

"Mrs. Williams, Mum's old housekeeper, sends me a care package every couple of months. One arrived just a few days ago."

Giles walked past him into the living room and flopped down on the couch. "God bless Mrs. Williams," he said fervently, his mouth still full of Jaffa Cakes and the box firmly clutched in his hand.

Nigel sat next to his uncle with a sigh and they were both quiet for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Nigel suddenly winced when he felt a pain shoot through his head. "Okay?" Giles asked quietly and Nigel nodded.

"The power just pours off of them," he explained. "I just haven't had a chance to build up my defences yet."

Giles smiled. "It's good to know you still use what I taught you all those years ago."

Nigel smiled in fond remembrance. "It wasn't easy being an empath at five years old," he said. "I made my poor parents life a misery until you came along and taught me how to control it." He suddenly grinned. "Have you been giving Xander the same lessons you used to give me?"

"Why should I?" Giles asked in confusion.

"Uncle Giles," Nigel said gently. "He's an empath and pretty much the strongest one I've ever met."

Giles frowned as a lot of things that had puzzled him over the last 8 years suddenly became crystal clear. "How the hell could I have missed that?" he asked with a sigh, disgusted at himself for missing something that was so obvious.

Nigel laughed and then thought of something. "So Buffy's the Slayer?" he asked with a shake of his head. "I thought she'd be taller somehow."

Giles laughed. "Never, ever tell her that. She's rather sensitive about her height."

"We thought you were dead, you know," Nigel suddenly said quietly and Giles nodded. "After we heard about Sunnydale on the news, Preston and I tried everything we could think of to get in touch with you." He suddenly frowned. "We even tried getting in touch with the Council but we couldn't get through for some reason."

"It's not very surprising you couldn't get a hold of them," Giles said quietly. "You're looking at one of the few remaining members. The Council building was blown up with everyone inside. The only ones that are left are the ones that were out in the field at the time."

"Oh God!" Nigel gasped. "I'm so sorry. I know you didn't exactly get along with the Council, but you were still a part of them."

"I'm sorry too, Nigel. With everything that was going on, it honestly never occurred to me that you would think I was dead. I'll ring Preston tomorrow and let him know that I'm okay."

Nigel suddenly yawned. "I know we have a lot to catch up on, Uncle, but can we do it tomorrow? It's almost 5 and I'm absolutely shattered."

The yawn seemed to be contagious because the next thing Giles knew he was yawning as well. He covered his mouth with his hand and grinned apologetically. "Now that you mentioned it, I am rather tired. Perhaps a nap wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Why don't you go take a shower and I'll get the sofa bed made up for us. That is if you don't mind sleeping with me?"

"Do you still hog all the blankets?" Giles asked with a smile and Nigel grinned.

"For your information, Uncle Giles," he said haughtily. "I never hogged the blankets. I quite deliberately stole them. There's a big difference."

Giles laughed and left to take his shower without answering his nephew, leaving Nigel in his living room, shaking his head and smiling at the sudden exciting turn his life had taken.

TBC


End file.
